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A Tragedy In Two Acts

Marcus Einfeld And Teresa Brennan

Fiona Harari

Winner, Non-Fiction Book Award, Walkley Book Award, 2012

This was not the ending either of them expected. Marcus Einfeld, former Federal Court judge and human rights champion, and his old friend Teresa Brennan, an exuberant, sometimes controversial US-based academic, had each spent years establishing demanding careers and international reputations, to create two lives that, on paper at least, exuded success. Then Einfeld was caught speeding. But rather than pay a small fine, the former judge told a court that Brennan had been driving his car. In reality she had been dead for three years. Through a chain of events that at times seemed exceedingly unlikely, Einfeld's lie was exposed, with once unimaginable consequences. His world, and virtually every honour he had earned, rapidly disappeared. And his old friend Brennan, who had died in suspicious circumstances, was suddenly, posthumously, attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. This is the remarkable story of two outstanding Australians whose lives have been…

This was not the ending either of them expected. Marcus Einfeld, former Federal Court judge and human rights champion, and his old friend Teresa Brennan, an exuberant, sometimes controversial US-based academic, had each spent years establishing demanding careers and international reputations, to create two lives that, on paper at least, exuded success. Then Einfeld was caught speeding. But rather than pay a small fine, the former judge told a court that Brennan had been driving his car. In reality she had been dead for three years. Through a chain of events that at times seemed exceedingly unlikely, Einfeld's lie was exposed, with once unimaginable consequences. His world, and virtually every honour he had earned, rapidly disappeared. And his old friend Brennan, who had died in suspicious circumstances, was suddenly, posthumously, attracting attention for all the wrong reasons. This is the remarkable story of two outstanding Australians whose lives have been lived large, and who, ultimately, have been bound by tragedy.

About the author

Fiona Harari is an award-winning journalist who began her career at The Age newspaper in 1984. Since then she has worked for Time (Australia) magazine and was a senior writer with The Australian newspaper for thirteen years. She also works in television, on past programs including 'Enough Rope' and 'Elders'. She has most recently written for Good Weekend and The Monthly.

Reviews

"This a riveting book about a high-profile Federal Court judge and the flamboyant, but dead, female academic brought to life by his claim that she was driving his speeding car in Mosman one Sunday afternoon in January 2006."

The Canberra Times

"Harari displays all her journalistic talents to produce a psychological report of two Australians whose career-in is case-and life-in hers-were brought abruptly to an end."

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